As members of the Pope County Quorum Court grapple with balancing the county’s budget, one theme keeps recurring — the need for revenue.

Funds for the county’s general budget have traditionally been tight, and things don’t appear to be getting better. For 2013, there are slightly more than $109,000 in available funds to appropriate, yet department heads have submitted estimates of funds they will need to request before the end of the year totaling nearly $215,000.

In addition, department heads have requested a three percent cost of living raise for their employees, which would add another $177,000 to the funds requested.

The county does have some money set aside in a surplus fund, but that money is finite and won’t fund long-term needs of the county.

As these issues have come up before the court, justices have danced around the question — should they seek additional revenue?

The county general fund is supported via personal and real property tax, a utility millage and proceeds from a portion of a county-wide one-cent sales tax. The sales tax proceeds are split by population between the county and municipalities within the county. The county’s current share of the tax is 40.67 percent, according to Treasurer Donna Wall.

The time to face the issue head-on has come, it seems. Justice David Ivy said the decision needs to be made now, before the county runs out of time — and funds.

“I’m just asking everybody to take a serious look at this and decide, ‘Where are we going to get this money?’” he told his fellow justices at Thursday’s Quorum Court meeting. “... Is this court going to raise the mill or not?”